Trust is Everything
by SneakerTime
Summary: Tony is just a semi normal kid, living off the streets of DC. That is, until he finds a dead body and meets a certain Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Both are hard on the outside, but somehow Tony works his way through Gibbs' defenses. Will Gibbs be able to protect him after Tony's past comes to life? AU Gibbs/Tony Father/Son NOT SLASH
1. Chapter 1

**My first NCIS story! Yay! Please R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. Or NCIS! Whoops, typo :)**

**Trust is Everything**

"Oh my…" Tony said walking down one of his favorite alleys. There was a dead man in a Navy uniform, lying dead in front of him. Quickly stepping forward to check for a pulse, he remembered this guy as being one of his clients. He had asked for an entire phone wipe, and had seemed really nervous. Finding no pulse he grabbed the guy's wallet and ran out onto the street and dialed 911 on the payphone. Before they could ask questions, he hung up and ran. He would come back and drop the wallet off once the police showed up.

**~NCIS~**

"What have we got McGee?" Gibbs asked, pulling up to the crime scene of a Navy Lieutenant. The poor guy looked like he had been beaten to death in some rancid alley. Gibbs looked around and was disgusted to see the crowd that had gathered to gawk at a dead body. People are ridiculous.

"Not much boss. Guy has no fingers, so we can't ID him yet. I'd say he died about midnight last night, but it's impossible to tell how he died."

"You got anything Kate?" Gibbs asked turning to his SFA.

"Unfortunately I have even less than McGee. Looks like his wallet was snatched. Hey wait, I think I might have something now. Gibbs, my six a clock, the young kid in the hat searching through a wallet. Its got a navy license in there." Kate replied.

The kid looked up just in time to meet Gibbs' eyes, and started to back away. "Where do you think you're goin?" Gibbs questioned walking towards him slowly.

"Anywhere you aren't." The kid said running through the crowd.

"Hey! Stop right there! NCIS!" Gibbs yelled chasing after the young punk. "Kate stay at the crime scene, McGee track him by car!" Gibbs ordered.

The kid turned and yelled "Like hell I will! You gotta catch me first!" Before running down multiple alleys.

Gibbs had to hand it to the kid, he could _run_. Starting to lose his momentum he ran down a street instead of another alley and jumped into the car McGee had just pulled up in. Stepping on the gas pedal, they were able to chase him for about three more blocks until finally cornering him in-between some old apartment buildings. Drawing their weapons, they carefully approached him.

"Let us see your hands, nice and slow kid. We just wanna ask you a few questions." Gibbs said calmly.

"Oh, the chase isn't over yet. Nice try though." He exclaimed jumping up onto a garbage bin and pulling himself up the fire escape. By the time Gibbs had gotten onto the fire escape the kid was about three floors from the top. After a few more minutes they were faced with the same situation. Only this time, the kid was on the edge of the roof, leaning over the edge.

"Just step off the ledge, we don't want you gettin hurt." Gibbs said calmly.

"You mean step off the ledge like this?" he asked dangling his foot over the edge.

"We just want to talk to you…"

"Look it's been fun and all, but you should really go back to where you belong grandpa. The bingo hall." He said turning towards the agents with a sh*t eating grin on his face. Quickly stepping backwards, he fell from the building. Gibbs ran forwards to grab him, but it was too late. The kid had just killed him- wait a minute. Where was the body? All he could see was a tattered awning over a now very pissed fruit vendor.

"Boss, there he goes!" McGee said pointing down the street. Gibbs watched as the kid turned to stare at them right before turning the corner, giving a mock salute before running again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay chapter 2! Please R&R!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own NCIS**

"Kate I want everything you can find on that kid, and I mean all of it." Gibbs ordered as the team walked into the bullpen.

"On it boss."

"McGee I want you identifying the Lieutenant. I'll be in Abby's lab when you guys find something." Gibbs said walking back into the elevator to head down to the lab.

"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!" Abby yelled coming towards him faster than normal. "I can't stop!" She said before crashing into him, almost taking both of them out.

"Abbs, what have you got?"

"Well I just found my roller-skates again, and I wanted to test them out, but I think I put too much of the stuff that makes them go faster and…"

"Abby I meant about the case."

"Oh, of course you did. Well then follow me!" she cheered. "Ok. I have been checking through this guy's phone that was found at the crime scene, and it's empty. Complete dead end, nothing on it, like someone took bleach to the stuff in his phone and cleaned everything out. I didn't even find a pixel of anything on it."

"And that means…?"

"It means that someone really good went through his phone and wiped it clean. As for why, I don't know. But rest assured I will keep looking!"

"Alright, keep me posted." Gibbs announced walking out of Abby's lab.

"What have we got?" Gibbs asked walking back into the bullpen.

"I found our kid boss!" Kate said happily.

"Well what are you waiting for, an invitation? Let's hear it."

"I wasn't able to find any information on him, but I got a good shot of his face from one of the security cameras. Unfortunately the cameras were down when our Lieutenant was killed, but I caught the kid while he was at the scene. I sent out a BOLO on him and just got a call from the police, they found him and are bringing him here now." Kate said, looking over her shoulder as she heard a commotion coming from the elevator.

"Hey, what did I tell you? Keep your hands to yourself. I am perfectly capable of walking on my own, thank you." The kid from the crime scene said to his two escorting officers.

"He's all yours." One of them said, leaving the kid in the bullpen and walking away as quickly as possible. Kid was a nightmare.

"Gibbs!" Abby yelled running towards the bullpen, almost tripping over her stilettoes. "Wait, who is this?" She asked making sure to get all up in the kids space, seeing how he reacted to others. Then taking a few steps back, she started walking around him in circles. He was about five ten, with sandy brown hair partially covered by a neon blue, folded beanie. He was wearing a plaid unbuttoned shirt, with another shirt underneath that, normal jeans and a black Nike backpack. But his shoes were the coolest; they were neon green and white Nike high tops, with black laces.

"Wait, why are you handcuffed?" Abby asked finally satisfied with his appearance.

"That's my question. Hey grandpa, what's up with the chains?" He asked Gibbs trying to move is arms.

"My name is _Special Agent_ Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

"Yeah, whatever. Point is, I didn't do anything wrong so I shouldn't be here, or be handcuffed."

"What's your name?" Abby asked, stepping behind him and picking the locks on his handcuffs.

"Tony." He said once his hands were free, rubbing his raw wrists.

"Ok Tony, why don't you tell us what you were doing with a dead man's wallet. Unless you want to just make this easy on everyone and confess to killing him." Kate suggested, already looking down on the snotty little punk.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa. I didn't kill anybody. As for why I had the wallet, I was just gonna take the money inside. I was even gonna leave it nearby so that you could find it." Tony said defensively.

"You just took a dead man's wallet?" McGee asked incredulously.

"For starters, he's dead. What's he gonna do with the money? Second of all, when you're fifteen and living off the streets of DC without a dime to your name, you let me know how your income is and how easy it is for you to get a job." Tony snorted. This guy seriously had no idea what his life was like and what he has had to go through.

"You just live on the streets?" Abby asked sadly.

"Look I know you didn't have me dragged here, handcuffed mind you, to talk about my life story. So what do you want?" Tony asked sarcastically. These people didn't give a d*mn about him, and he didn't want to have to stay here longer than he had to.

"For starters hand over the wallet." Gibbs ordered, taking a few steps towards the kid. But instead of him cowering, like Gibbs had expected, he casually tossed the wallet at him. Looking inside, Gibbs frowned at the lack of cash.

"What? I'm a growing kid, I get hungry." Tony said before he could ask any questions. "Hey, did you guys happen to find his phone?"

"What about his phone?" Gibbs asked skeptically.

"Well if he doesn't need money, why would he need a phone?" Tony asked honestly.

"Oh you don't want it. It's completely wiped clean anyway." Abby stated.

"Well of course it's clean, I cleaned it. My costumers expect me to do a thorough job and that's exactly what I do." Tony said seriously.

"W-what? How… h-how did you completely wipe his phone?" McGee asked stunned. _He_ hadn't even been able to bring any of the data back.

"Translation anyone?" Tony asked walking over to the empty desk in the corner and unceremoniously sat down in the chair, propping his feet up on the desk. "What he really means is how some street kid like me, outsmarted an MIT graduate. The answer is, don't be so full of yourself McGoo."

"What? How did you know I went to MIT? And my name is McGee."

"I like McGoo better. Plus I googled all of you once I was able to outrun the two of you." Tony said calmly.

"What do you mean googled? You can't just google Federal Agents." McGee said curiously. How did this kid know about them?

"How about we cut a deal? I give you my copy of all the stuff on his phone, and we ignore how I know about you guys." Tony suggested.

"Or I can just force you to give us the copy." Gibbs suggested darkly.

"Yeah that'll go over well." Tony said rolling his eyes.

"Fine. Hand over the copy." Gibbs told him, sticking out his hand.

"Nope, I want the deal in writing. Here, I just happen to have a copy of said deal." Tony said smugly, pulling a few papers out of his backpack. "Sign here please." Tony said, giving Gibbs a pen. After Gibbs had signed, he tossed him a flash drive and sat back in the chair putting the papers in a safe place.

"McGee, do your thing." Gibbs said passing the flash drive.

"Hey you really don't wanna put that thing in." Tony told them. At least he had tried to give them a heads up.

"I'm sure he can handle it. Ok kid, how did you know about my team?" Gibbs asked.

"I heard you call out their names and your hats and jackets said NCIS, so I hacked into the NCIS database and read through your files." Tony said coolly.

"You're good kid." Abby said stepping forward, looking at the kid with a new light.

Just then McGee had plugged the flash drive in and the monitors all went blank with snow. Unfortunately the volume was also up and a screeching sound was heard throughout the bullpen.

"Turn it off McGee!" Gibbs yelled angrily, covering his ears.

"Boss, I can't!" McGee yelled back shaking his head.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Tony yelled standing up and walking over to McGee's desk. Quickly typing on the keyboard, the screens went blank. After a few more seconds of typing the screens went back to normal and Tony took the flash drive out. "I tried to tell you not to plug it in." Tony said shaking his head.

"McGee, what did you do?" Gibbs barked.

"B-boss… I didn't…"

"He didn't do anything." Tony said seriously. "I put a safety lock on all of my flash drives. If you don't enter in a password within five seconds it shuts everything down and hacks back into the computer it was plugged into. I was able to counteract it before he hacked into your computers, so your stuff is safe."

"Why do you set up locks that serious?" Abby asked curiously.

"Look a lot of people come to me to wipe their phones. Or any technology they have. I always make a copy of everything I delete. Usually the reasons for a phone wipe aren't the best, or legal. If something isn't right, I slip the flash drives to the police and make sure they can convict the person. A few weeks ago someone found out that I was handing stuff over to the police, and let's just say he wasn't very happy." Tony said, cringing at the memory.

"What do you mean by 'wasn't very happy'?" Kate questioned.

"I mean not happy like, come at me with a crowbar and threaten to break every bone in my body, not happy."

"What a touching story, now do you mind fixing your little… computer thing." Gibbs said gesturing at the flash drive.

"Do you mean a flash drive? Yeah I'll unlock it, but it's going to need a more powerful computer to get all of the information."

"Oh, oh! Come with me! You can meet my baby's!" Abby cheered already grabbing Tony's arm and pulling him towards the elevator.

"Wait, your what? Are you even mentally sane?" Tony asked before getting in the elevator.


	3. Chapter 3

**Another chapter up and running! Thank you so much to everyone who has read, followed, favorite'd' and reviewed my story! It means a lot to me :)**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own NCIS. It's a darn shame to. ;) **

"Abby what've you got?" Gibbs yelled out as he walked towards her lab, surprised that she hadn't already 'attacked' him.

No response. Just loud music blaring.

"Abbs!" Gibbs yelled again.

"Oh hey Gibbs!" Abby said happily, turning the music off. "This kid is a genius!" She cheered happily.

"Abby please, flattery will get you everywhere." Tony laughed, turning to look at Gibbs.

"Abby, what did you do to him?" Gibbs asked trying to glare at her.

"What are you talking about? He looks fantastic! The collar, totally completes his outfit!" Abby said gesturing at Tony's neck that had a black, spiked dog collar with chains around it.

"Thanks again for the new duds, Regina delle tenebre." He said, giving her a megawatt smile.

"Regina what?" Gibbs asked completely lost.

"It means 'Queen of Darkness' in Italian." Abby said happily.

"Well Abbs congratulations, you made friends with a juvenile delinquent. Now do you have anything for me?" He questioned impatiently, ignoring the sound of protest from Tony at being called a delinquent.

"That depends, did you bring two Caf-Pows like I asked?" She asked putting her hands on her hips and starting to pout.

"Right here." He said bringing forward his hands that were full of drinks.

"Yes!" She cheered instantly snatching both of the drinks and handing one to Tony. "You have to try this! It's like the greatest thing in the world! Wait, let me take a picture of your first drink!"

After taking a drink, Tony's eyes went wide. "Oh mio bene, questa è la cosa più sorprendente mai!" He said as Abby snapped a picture of them together.

"I don't know what that means, but I think you like it!" Abby yelled as she started jumping up and down.

"Do you have something for me or not?!" Gibbs yelled in his usual gruff voice.

"Yeah, yeah, keep your shirt on grandpa. I brought everything back and it's all set for you to use." Tony told him, stepping away from the computers.

"Alright lets go, I'll drive you home." Gibbs said walking back towards the sliding doors.

"Gibbs, you can't take him back!" Abby said wrapping Tony in a tight hug.

"Abbs, despite the collar he's not some stray you can take in off the streets." Gibbs told her, hoping that she didn't want to stay in contact with the punk.

"I gotta get back anyway. Thanks for the collar Regina delle tenebre. If you're ever on the streets, look me up." Tony told her smiling as he walked away.

**~NCIS~**

He walked towards the parking lot cautiously. He really didn't want to be alone with this guy, it always seemed like he could see right through him. And the way those blue, steely eyes could stare into his soul, it freaked him out. Gibbs then took a turn and walked up to a restored Challenger.

"No flippin way!" Tony yelled running towards the car, his hands ghosting over it. "There's no way this is yours, this car is way too cool!"

"Yeah it's mine, you wanna ride in it?" Gibbs asked, noticing the way his eyes lit up at the offer.

"Would I ever! This is so cool!" He exclaimed as took a seat in the passenger side of the car. "Do you know how many movies this car has been in?"

Gibbs looked over and actually felt a smile on his face as he took in the bouncing teenager. It looked as if someone had just invented the cure for cancer he was so happy.

"Wait!" Tony yelled suddenly, causing Gibbs to stomp on the brakes, jerking the car forward.

"What?!" Gibbs yelled.

"Can I put one of my CD's in?" He asked a flash of hope going through his eyes.

"Fine." Gibbs growled. This kid was probably going to put some kind of stupid gangster CD in. But he was startled out of his thoughts as he heard Frank Sinatra singing 'That's Life.'

"You listen to Frank Sinatra?" Gibbs asked incredulously, noticing how Tony had a faraway look in his eyes as he gazed out the window.

"Only all the time! He's one of my favorites. It just seems like his music can explain everything in the world, and make all of it better. I used to listen to his music all the time with my mom, hours spent listening to her play the piano and Sinatra sing." He said quietly.

"Sounds like you and she had some good times." Gibbs observed.

"Yeah, depends on how you look at it." Tony muttered.

"Where's your dad?" Gibbs questioned, trying to figure out more about this kid.

"That b*st*rd doesn't give a d*mn about me, and the world would be better off if he was dead." Tony answered bitterly.

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad." Gibbs tried to reason.

"You don't know me, or anything about me." Tony spat angrily.

"Well, if you would talk more than a few sentences maybe I would know more." Gibbs suggested. This kid was changing moods faster than a couch potato changes channels on TV.

"Says the functional mute." He quipped sarcastically. "Look can you just drop it? So I don't have perfect parents. Who does?"

"Alright fine, don't talk about it. Will you at least tell me where to drop you off at? Gibbs asked as he realized that he didn't know where he was going.

"Just drop me off in front of the Smithsonian." Tony said turning away from the window. As Gibbs looked over he realized that the light had died from his eyes and he had shut down his emotions.

"Come on, give me an address. You weren't serious about the living off the streets thing were you?"

"Never mind, you can just let me out here." Tony said getting out of the car.

"Tony wait!" Gibbs yelled, but the door had already slammed closed.

Getting out of the car, he went to go after the kid but he was already gone. Again. "How fast can that kid run?" Gibbs huffed under his breath.

**I have to admit I have a bit of writers block. So it will probably take a while for me to post another chapter.**

**Please R&R!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Writer's block over! Huzzah! It ended sooner than I thought, but was still painful in the process :)**

**Thank you so much to everyone who has been reviewing and reading my stories! And a special shout out to the Guest who gave me ideas of how to get over my writers block, those were fantastic ideas!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS **

"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!" Abby cheered as soon as he stepped off of the elevator.

"What ya got for me Abbs?"

"With the help of Tony, I was able to get information that our Lieutenant was involved in a fraud scam, and I was able to pull names of his conspirators."

"Well then why aren't they already here?" Gibbs asked glaring at his agents.

"That's the thing Boss. The men who were working with the Lieutenant are about to take someone out for 'doing them wrong,' and I figured if we tale them, we can know stop them and warn and save whoever they're after." McGee suggested.

"Good one McGee, you might have just redeemed yourself from earlier this morning." Gibbs told him with a lopsided grin. "Do we have a location as to where they're going to make this hit?"

"No, but I have been able to narrow it down to a few blocks." McGee reported.

"Alright, McGee you're here tracking their movements. Kate, you and I are gonna be on the streets tailing them and monitoring the streets until something happens. Keep us posted." Gibbs tossed over his shoulder as he walked back into the elevators.

**~NCIS~**

"You see anything out of the ordinary?" Gibbs asked into his mic as he casually walked down the streets.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." Kate reported. "Hey wait a minute."

"What've you got?" Gibbs asked quickly, his hand automatically going to his hip.

"I think I see Tony." Kate said stunned.

"Tony? Where?" Gibbs asked looking around until he finally spotted the familiar blue beanie in the crowd.

"You want me to pick him up?" Kate asked.

"No, let him be. I wanna see what he does." Gibbs replied, creeping around a corner to see what the young kid did while alone.

**~NCIS~**

Tony walked along the streets with a glazed look in his eyes. He had never felt more at home than while he was with those people, strange as they may be. Especially that Gibbs guy. He played all hard on the outside, but there was something about him that he liked, something on the inside. "Get ahold of yourself Anthony." He muttered as he shoved those thoughts from his mind. He was a street kid now, he never had a real family or a real home, and he sure as hell didn't need one now. Walking into his favorite deli, he bought the cheapest sandwich he could and continued walking the streets.

Looking around, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. But it wasn't the bad feeling of being watched, it felt different. Hearing a commotion he noticed a young girl with long, dirty bold hair, and a wardrobe that matched his own (except her beanie was maroon colored). She appeared to be about twelve years old. She was also in a fight with a certain fruit vendor's stand that had accidently been destroyed a few hours earlier thanks to a certain young street kid with a bright blue beanie. And she was losing.

"Sis there you are." Tony panted as he came up towards them, acting like he had been running for a while.

"You know her?" The guy asked angrily.

"I am so sorry sir, she just slipped outta my hands. I swear I only turned my back on her for a second. Kids these days." He told him shaking his head and discretely starting to walk away.

"She tried to take some of my apples!" The man yelled indignantly. "Hey, wait a minute. Do I know you from somewhere?"

"And I am terribly sorry, but don't you worry our dad will straighten her out." Tony reassured him starting to run away, the girl's hand firmly in his own.

"Jessie what were you thinking?" Tony chastised as they continued walking.

"I was thinking that I was hungry, Tony." Jessie pouted.

"Really? Cause I could have sworn that I had taught you better than that." He stated handing her half of his sandwich.

"No, Tony I can't…"

"I'm pretty sure you can. Come on, just take the sandwich." He said sitting down on a nearby bench.

"Thanks Tony. It means a lot that you've been looking out for me." She said quietly biting into the sandwich.

"I wasn't kidding when I said you were my sister. You're my family Jessie, and I'm yours." He said, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Whether you like it or not."

"But we're not blood."

"No, but a family isn't just blood. A family is full of people who look out for you, protect you and love you. And in case you haven't noticed I already do those things for you, and I love you."

"Well that's good, because I love you to." She sighed leaning into him. Ever since she ran away from her abusive foster home Tony had looked out for her. Before he showed up, she had been a helpless and clueless mess. But he had taken her under his wing, helped her and fed her, made her feel safe again. He was her best friend and more like a father and big brother than her real family had ever been. She felt loved. And it was something she hadn't felt in a long time, and it felt great to have it back.

Tony still couldn't shake that feeling of being watched. Checking the streets he immediately spotted trouble. "Jessie, start walking down the street and act like you don't know me."

"What? Why?"

"Because I don't know what's about to happen, and I won't put you in harm's way. Please just trust me and walk away."

"Ok, meet at the usual place at nine tonight. You better show up, please." Jessie said standing up.

"When have I ever not?" Tony said trying to smile. Also standing he placed a kiss on her forehead and started walking in a different direction as her.

**~NCIS~**

Gibbs and Kate watched stunned as Tony sat talking to the young girl he had just ran in to. They acted like they had known each other for years. "What's he doing?" Kate questioned as they started walking away.

"I don't know, but we better follow him." Gibbs said moving towards the alley that Tony and a few men had just gone down.

"Boss!" McGee's voice came over the mic.

"What is it McGee?" Gibbs asked continuing to look around for the culprit's.

"The guys are going after Tony! You have to find him!" McGee yelled as a thrashing sound was heard from the alley Tony had gone down.

"McGee call for backup!" Gibbs yelled as he drew his weapon and ran for the alley.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hope you like the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS and am unfortunately making no money from this story :)**

"Hey kid, come here a sec." One of the guys who had been following him called.

Tony had figured this was coming. He should have known better than to wipe that guy's phone. Now he was about to get beat up in another one of his favorite alleys, at least Jessie had walked away in time. But this clearly was not the week for him to go down alleys. What's next, running into his father by a dumpster at midnight?

"Can we please do this somewhere else? I mean talk about clichés." Receiving confused looks he continued as he carefully slid a knife from his pocket. "I mean really? How many times have you seen the good guy or some kid get beaten up in an alley? This is just too cheesy, even for me."

"Just stay still and this won't take long." One of them said from behind him hitting his knee with a pipe, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Great, now I'm trapped." Tony mumbled. Just then he heard a familiar voice yell to freeze. Gibbs and Kate walked down the alley, guns pointing at the two men surrounding Tony. Wait two? He could have sworn there was three men.

"Are you ok?" Gibbs asked turning towards him and helping him off the ground, facing away from the back of the alley. Looking over his shoulder, Tony saw the muzzle of a gun pointing right at Gibbs' back.

Without a second thought, Tony moved into action. He knew what was about to happen, but it didn't matter. This man's life meant something, to others… and to him. And he would be d*mned if someone hurt Gibbs right in front of him. "Gibbs look out!" Tony yelled as he pushed him out of the way and threw his knife at the man behind him. But not before a gunshot sounded and a bullet ripped through Tony's left shoulder.

**Hahaha! Cliffie! I will be updating soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Yay another chapter! And as un-fun as cliffies might be for you, they are awesome for me! Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has read and followed my stories. I love the support!**

**Sorry about the previous medical errors, they have been fixed and are hopefully more accurate.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.**

"TONY!" Jessie screamed as he feel to the ground in a bloody heap. She had seen everything that had happened, but mainly the part of her big brother being gunned down in front of her. Running towards him she feel to her knees and grabbed his hand. "Tony are you ok?" Her question sounding more like a plea.

Gibbs looked around dazed; he had hit his head up against one of the walls when Tony pushed him. Seeing Tony on the ground, bleeding; brought everything back. Tony had pushed him out of the way, had saved his life; and he had gotten shot because of it. Getting down on the ground beside Jessie, Gibbs quickly took his coat off and pressed it onto Tony's bleeding shoulder.

Groaning Tony started to look around. "Jessie… I t-told you… to leave." Tony mumbled.

"Since when do I ever listen to you?" Jessie asked as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"You're going to be just fine, you got that Tony?" Gibbs asked as he pressed down harder. "McGee have an ambulance sent to our location now. Kate, you got the other guys?"

"I got them Gibbs." She replied.

"G-Gibbs… did anyone e-ever… tell you that… you have fantastic t-timing?" Tony asked smiling. And not just his usual fake smile, the real megawatt Anthony DiNozzo smile.

"I may have heard that a time or two. But it's usually said with a lot more sarcasm." Gibbs replied with an upward turn to the corner of his mouth.

Tony reached up and grabbed Gibbs' wrist. "You need to… take c-care of her." Tony told him, looking straight in his eyes.

"Tony, don't you talk like that. Don't even start." Jessie said forcefully.

"I love you Jess." Tony said weakly. Before he closed his eyes.

"Tony, you have to open your eyes for me." Gibbs said putting more pressure on the still bleeding wound. "Tony open your eyes! McGee where is that ambulance?!"

"They should be arriving soon Boss." McGee replied.

"We need them now!" Gibbs yelled, still not hearing any sirens. "Tony you need to open your eyes now."

"Please Tony!" Jessie begged. But his hand just slipped out of hers. "Tony please don't leave me." Jessie pleaded as the ambulance pulled up.

Gibbs finally moved out of the way as the paramedics arrived. He tried to listen to what they said, he really did, but he was never one to understand medical terms. But because of all of his years in the field, he knew that the kid had lost too much blood.

"Let's get him outta here." One of the paramedics said, loading the stretcher into the back of the ambulance.

"I'm coming with you." Jessie said instantly hopping into the back of the ambulance before anyone could blink.

"I'm coming to." Gibbs said, moving in next to her, glaring at the paramedics when they started to argue. "Kate handle the crime scene, Local PD's on its way. McGee get out here now, and bring Ducky and Palmer as well. Come to the hospital once everything is taken care of." And with that the ambulance was racing towards the hospital.

**~NCIS~**

"Kate, what happened to this guy?" McGee asked as he walked towards the only body at the crime scene. He had a gun in his right hand, and a decent sized knife sticking out of his throat.

"Tony got him, that's what happened."

"What do you mean Tony got him?" McGee asked shocked. There was no way that punk of a kid took out a guy with a gun.

"I mean that while Gibbs was helping Tony up, some guy came up behind him and tried to shoot him in the back. But Tony pushed him out of the way, and threw a knife at him. Kid has really good aim."

"Wow, I can't believe he actually did that. So wait, why did you need the ambulance?" McGee asked still confused. Kate really needed to work on how she relayed her information.

"He wasn't fast enough, the guy had already got off a shot and it got Tony right in the left shoulder. He had already lost consciousness by the time the ambulance showed up and was bleeding pretty badly. McGee, there's a chance he might not make it."

"If there's one thing I know about that kid, it's that he's a fighter. He'll make it. Let's finish up here so we can head over to the hospital and make sure Gibbs doesn't give any nurses a heart attack." McGee said trying to lighten the mood. Little did McGee know Gibbs was doing just that.

**~NCIS~**

"I want answers now!" Gibbs roared for what seemed like the hundredth time, grinning slightly as everyone in the room cowered at his voice. They had lost Tony twice on the way to the hospital, but he had come out of it every time. As soon as they arrived, he was whisked into the surgery rooms and no one had said a word to him since. Gibbs was known for many things, but patience was _not _one of them. And no matter how much he scared everyone, he still hadn't gotten any answers.

"Just let me handle this. You're not going to get any answers like that." Jessie hissed as she pulled on his arm. "Please ma'am." Jessie begged, crying for more affect. "My brother and I were just going for a walk… and this guy came out of nowhere! He threatened to hurt me, but my brother stopped him. B-but… he got shot! Right in front of me! He just has to be ok! I-I… don't know what I would do without him." She finished with a chocked sob.

"I'll go find all the answers I can for you, and make sure his doctor comes and talks to you as soon as he gets out of surgery." The nurse said scurrying off to find information for the sobbing girl.

"Told you that you wouldn't get any answers like that." Jessie said wiping the tears off her face.

"You're quite the actress." Gibbs said impressed. She had certainly gotten more answers than he had.

"Well what can I say, Tony taught me well." She said as she sat in probably the most uncomfortable chairs in the world.

"You and he seem pretty close." Gibbs observed.

"Tony's like a dad, big brother and best friend all rolled into one." She said smiling slightly. "As far as I'm concerned he's the only family I have. Who are you by the way?"

"Sorry, the name's Special Agent Gibbs."

"Well you seemed to have made quite the impression _Special Agent_ Gibbs."

"Oh yeah, what makes you say that?"

"Tony and I mean the world to each other, and if he trusts you to look after me, he must really like you."

For the first time –in a very long time, mind you– Gibbs was shocked into silence. He had no idea that Tony trusted him that much. But it did make sense once you put it that way. And with another shock he realized that he really, _really _cared about this kid. Tony had somehow worked his way through all of his defenses and into his heart; in his own weird way. Before he could respond, a doctor came out of the surgical rooms and started to walk towards them.

"Family of Tony?" The doctor asked the waiting room.

"His name is Tony… just Tony." Gibbs said standing with Jessie. He would have to ask Tony about his last name later.

"My name is Doctor Bradwell. I was the man performing surgery on young Tony."

"He's going to be ok right?" Jessie asked jumping to the point.

"He made it through the surgery with no complications and is expected to make a full recovery. The police informed me that they are running his blood through their system now to get a full ID. You're free to go into his room, but he is on very strong medication and probably won't be awake for much longer. I'll let you know if there are any changes in his status. His room is down the hall, third door to your right." The doctor said walking away.

"Come on lets go." Jessie said running down the corridors towards Tony's room.

**Thank you LAG0802 for letting me know my medical error. All I know about hospitals and medicine is that they scare me :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry guys, I know it's been a while since I've updated. But you have been waiting patiently, so here you go!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own. But never fear my missiles will force them to hand over the show and... Wait a minute... I have just been informed that I don't own any missiles. Oh well, on with the story! **

"Tony!" Jessie cheered as she saw his big, green, shining eyes staring at her.

"Hey Jess." He said weakly.

"If you ever scare me like that again, I swear I'll…"

"I get the point Jessie. But thanks for the encouragement." He said giving her a slight smile.

"I was so worried." Jessie insisted as she grabbed his hand and sat by his bed.

"So was I!" Tony laughed, his laugh quickly turning into a cough. Glancing at the doorway, he noticed Gibbs standing there. Looking him dead in the eyes, he could tell the older man had something on his mind.

"Jess, would you get me some coffee? Please?" He asked turning on the DiNozzo charm.

"Tony, you shouldn't be having-" Jess started, but Tony cut her off.

"Please Jess! I was just shot for crying out loud, the least you could do is get me my favorite coffee."

"Tony you know I would if I could, but I don't have any-" Once again she was cut off by Tony waving a ten dollar bill in front of her face.

Snatching it out of his hand she winked at him and whispered "I'll sneak it in." She nodded once at Gibbs and then left the room in search of a decent coffee store.

"What's up, _grandpa_?" Tony asked with a smirk, trying to hide his need to cough.

"Nothing much, you _juvenile delinquent_you." Gibbs said actually smiling as he walked into the sterile room.

"What's on your mind Gibbs?" Tony asked quietly after a few minutes.

"How do you know I have something on my mind?"

"Don't try and beat around the bush Gibbs, it doesn't suit you. I can tell you have something on your mind."

How can this kid read me so well? Gibbs wondered crossly as he stared into big green eyes. "I can't thank you enough for saving my life." Gibbs said finally.

At that Tony gave a smile, a real smile. "It was my pleasure Gibbs."

"How can you say that?! How can you be so calm and accepting?!" Gibbs demanded as he got up and started pacing around the room like a caged animal. "You were almost killed because of me!"

"Yeah I was." Tony replied watching Gibbs with mild amusement. "But I didn't die. Or I did and heaven is filled with old, grumpy, blue-eyed angels."

Gibbs turned and glared at Tony, which only made him start laughing. "Ow. Gibbs stop, you're going to make me tear my stitches out from laughing so hard!" Tony said, breathless with laughter.

"I am so pleased that I amuse you." Gibbs said trying to cover the laughter in his voice with sarcasm.

"As a matter of fact… you do!" Tony said still laughing. "Gibbs, I saw the way your team looked at you." Tony said immediately sobering. "People care about you, care about what happens to you. A lot of people take something like that for granted, but you never should. People care about you Gibbs. And no one in this world cares about me like that, except for Jessie." Tony stated clearly. Deciding that the conversation was getting to deep, he changed the subject. "So why were those guys after me?"

"It turns out the guy's phone you wiped was involved in some nasty stuff. They weren't too happy about you turning your stuff over to us, and they were planning a hit. On you." Gibbs stated bluntly.

"See, I knew you were never one to beat around the bush. That was pretty blunt though, I think you need to work on your people skills." Tony told him, with a smirk.

"I have been telling Jethro that for years." Ducky said walking into the room.

"Hey Duck." Gibbs said finally stopping his pacing.

"Duck? Why would you call him a duck? That's just rude, you really do need to work on your people skills." Tony said shaking his head at Gibbs.

"Never fear my dear boy, he's not _that_ rude. My name is Dr. Mallard, and my friends call me Ducky."

"That's an interesting name. I bet a lot of people think it's like the duck, but it's after the train right?" Tony asked.

"Right you are." Ducky said surprised that someone his age knew about something like that, when most adults didn't. "You must be Anthony, I have heard so much about you." Ducky said, understanding why Abby liked him so much.

"Anthony? Haven't heard that name in a while." Tony muttered. "Please just call me Tony, I _hate _the name Anthony." Tony said bitterly.

"Well it is your name isn't it?" Ducky asked confused.

"I wish it wasn't." Tony said darkly looking out the window.

"What's wrong with your name?" Gibbs asked intrigued.

"Let's just drop it shall we?" Tony asked crossly. "You said you were a doctor right Dr. Mallard? Well tell me what's up doc."

"You are quite an enigma my dear boy, a puzzle indeed. Never fear, I always enjoy a good mystery." Ducky said giving him a calculating look. "But with the way you are healing, I would say that you can be out of the hospital within a few days."

"Thank goodness! I've only been here a few hours and it already feels like days." Tony said running a hand over his face.

"Hey Tony, I got your drugs." Jessie said walking in and waving a bag around.

"Drugs?! In a hospital?" Ducky stuttered. "Young lady, what on earth are you thinking?!" Ducky demanded glaring at the young girl.

"It's ok Dr. Mallard, she doesn't mean real drugs. It's our code word. Now Jessie, did you get the good stuff, or are we talkin dope?" Tony asked with a large smile on his face.

"I got you all hooked up Tony, I gotcha all the good stuff!" Jessie said laughing and placing the bag in front of Tony.

"We developed our own language on the streets." Tony explained opening the bag. "Dope is stale pastries, well for us at least. And then when we say good stuff, we mean real, _decent_ coffee and maybe a sandwich. If we're lucky. Here Jess, take half." Tony said giving her half of his donut.

"No Tony, you eat it. You need it more than I do." Jessie said pushing it back towards him.

"Jess, I'm serious. Take the donut before I throw it at you, I know you're hungry." Tony insisted still holding his hand out.

"Even when you're lying in a hospital bed shot, you're still looking out for me." Jessie said shaking her head as she took the donut.

"What can I say? I'm too selfless for my own good." Tony said as he inhaled the last of his donut.

"I think that's the understatement of the year!" Jessie said punching Tony's uninjured arm.

"Even when I'm injured you hit me, what is this?!" Tony asked in mock anger.

"Oh suck it up, you big baby." Jessie said still laughing at Tony's expression.

"Wow, such encouragement. Now I remember why I keep you around." Tony said with sarcasm dripping from every word.

"I see you're awake, that's very good." Tony's doctor said walking into the room. "My name is Doctor Bradwell and I was the one who did your surgery. Everything seems to be going well, and I hope to discharge you soon. You were very lucky, the bullet missed all arteries and muscle so you won't need any physical therapy."

"Yeah, because this is the definition of lucky." Tony snorted gesturing to his bandaged arm. "The sooner I get out of here, the better."

"I will release you from the hospital in a few days, but I want you to be under constant care of a capable adult."

"Yeah like that will…" Tony started but Gibbs beat him to it.

"Don't worry doc, he'll be staying with me." Gibbs said with a smirk on his face.


	8. Chapter 8

**Everyone might be a little OOC, but oh well! And I know, this chapter might seem a little pointless, but it all has a point and plays out quite well in the grand scheme of things. Quite well indeed :)**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own NCIS**

"I can't believe I'm going through with this." Tony mumbled as he finished getting dressed in his real clothes. "It's not like I had much of a choice though." He muttered as he pulled his beanie over his face and buried his face into his pillow to muffle his grown.

"You better not be trying to suffocate yourself." Jessie said laughing as she walked in.

"Nah. If I was gonna do that, I would have done it before I went through a week of staying at the hospital." Tony said giving her a smirk.

"Yeah, I would have too. Hey, how are you paying for this fancy crib?" Jessie asked as she started eating his pudding cup.

"Gibbs said NCIS has it covered because I got shot saving their agent. As long as I don't have to pay, I'm good." Tony said shrugging as he sat on the bed and waited for Gibbs to come pick him up. It's not like he wanted to go with him, but Gibbs had made up his mind. And something told him that once Gibbs made up his mind about something, he wasn't about to change it. So Tony had accepted to stay at Gibbs' place for a while to make sure he was all good and healthy. He didn't want to, but that didn't matter much. It's not like he ever had a say in his life anyway. He just had to leave the first chance he got and make sure he repaid Gibbs for everything. Then they would be even and Tony could move on with his life.

"Yeah, as good as you can be after getting shot in the chest." Jessie snorted as she tossed the half empty pudding cup into the garbage, and missed.

"Oh! You fail girl!" Tony cheered as he watched the pudding cup splatter up the white sterile wall. "How are you gonna explain that?" Tony asked laughing as she stared at the wall like a fish out of water.

"Tony, what did you do?" Gibbs demanded as he came into the room with the doctor and glared at the wall that looked like a pudding volcano had exploded up it.

"That's how I'm gonna explain it!" Jessie said laughing at the look of shock on Tony's face.

"Why do I always get blamed for everything?" Tony grumbled as he turned away from the door with a fake pout on his face.

"Alright kid, you ready to go?" Gibbs asked as he finished signing the last piece of paper and handed it over to doctor.

"Yeah let's hit it. Hey, can we stop and grab some coffee? It's been to long since Jess and I have had some decent coffee."

"No, you don't need any coffee. It was nice meeting you Jessie." Gibbs said nodding at her as he grabbed Tony's very light bag.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa. What's with the goodbyes? Jessie's coming with us." Tony said adamantly.

"Uh, no. She's not. Now come on, we gotta get goin." Gibbs said turning around to walk away. Until a voice stopped him that his. And that voice happened to belong to a now very pissed, still injured teenager.

"Uh, yes. She is. I'm not going anywhere without Jessie." Tony said seriously.

"Tony, its fine. I'm not going with you, and that's cool." Jessie said firmly. Even though she knew that she was fighting a losing battle. She knew that look in Tony's eyes. Gibbs may be hard headed, but when Tony got that look, oh Lord. You better duck and run for cover because here comes a stampede of stubborn headed bulls with a severe form of blood lust.

"No Jessie, it's not fine. I'm not just gonna let you back out on the streets without me there. I'm not going anywhere, without you. So either we all get in that car, or Gibbs is leaving without me." Tony said glaring at Gibbs, practically begging him to argue just to prove that he was serious about walking away.

Gibbs turned and looked at the kid, who had a glare on his face that rivaled his own. He tried to stare him down, but quickly realized that that wasn't going to happen. So after a quick inner battle, Gibbs finally agreed to Jessie coming to stay with him as well.

"Well, here we are. Home sweet home." Gibbs said sarcastically as he picked up Tony's bag. By the time they had reached his house, it was almost dinner time. Of course dinner was probably the last thought on Gibbs' mind. Because Gibbs was definitely less than pleased to be having two teenagers staying at his house. He didn't even know what he was thinking offering to take one, but willingly agreeing to take two teenagers? He must have not had enough coffee that morning.

"Pretty sweet place you got here Gibbs. It's so nice, it comes in at about an even second place of nice places that I've stayed. Of course my alley takes first place." Tony said smiling as he looked at the house that didn't seem to match the man who owned it at all.

"Don't tell me you're talking about that alley by the Chinese place." Jessie said exasperated, with a hint of humor in her eyes and in her smile.

"No, that alley is like fifth place. I'm talking about that one over by the Mexican joint, with the stray dog. You know the place I'm talkin about." Tony said gesturing wildly with his hands.

"Oh yeah! That one dog that you named Tipsy! Because the first time you met him, he kept walking around like he was drunk. How can I forget him?!" Jessie said laughing as she remembered the funny animal. "Hey, does he still follow you around?"

"He sure does. Tipsy's part homing pigeon, part bloodhound. He can find me wherever I'm at, and I have been a lot of places." Tony said with a large smile on his face.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Gibbs asked turning to look at the two kids following him. They certainly were strange kids. "Who in the world finds a drunk dog, in an alleyway, by a Mexican place?"

"Tony that's who. He has met some of the strangest people and can tell you the strangest stories you've ever heard." Jessie said laughing as she grabbed Tony's hand and walked up the stairs with Gibbs.

"You always leave your door unlocked?" Tony asked incredulously as Gibbs walked in without using a key.

"I don't have anything to steal, so why bother?" Gibbs said shrugging nonchalantly.

"Alright, we got some rules to discuss." Gibbs said turning to glare at the youths. No way was he going to give them free run of his house. "No breaking anything. No doing anything stupid or what you think will be fun, just leave everything be. Food's in the kitchen, guest bathroom is second floor first door to your right. Guest bedroom is second floor, second door to your right. Jessie you can sleep down here on the couch. I'll be up in about half an hour to give you your meds and make sure the two of you go to sleep. If you try and pull any kind of stunts, anything the doctor said not to do, I'll strap you down to a chair and keep you locked in this house until you're thirty five years old. I'll be in the basement if you need me." Gibbs said giving them one final glare before going back to his basement. Just because he offered to have the kids stay with him, didn't mean he had to constantly watch them. They would be fine anyway. What's the worst that could happen?

"Well what do we do now?" Jessie asked turning towards Tony curiously.

"I'll tell you what we're gonna do. We're gonna make some dinner!" Tony said walking towards the kitchen with a bright smile on his face.

**~NCIS~**

Gibbs finally sighed and set his sander down as he rubbed a hand over his face. No matter how long he worked on his boat, his emotions –and gut for that matter– were still in knots. On one hand, he admired the kid and was proud of him for sticking up for what he wanted. On the other hand, he hated his cockiness and his overconfident attitude; and had no idea why he was proud of him. He barely even knew anything about him, had barely even had a real conversation with the kid; and yet here he was, living in his house. His thoughts were soon interrupted by an amazing smell coming from his kitchen. Getting an odd feeling, he slowly made his way upstairs.

What he saw next stopped him in his tracks. There, in his hallway, was one of the largest dogs he had ever seen. The dog instantly turned towards him and started to growl a deep, hateful noise and bare his teeth in a vicious way. The dog then crouched in an attack position and looked ready to maul Gibbs at any moment.

Carefully watching the dog, he reached around his waist to pull his gun. He didn't want to shoot the dog, but if it was between keeping all his body parts and shooting an animal or dying a horrible death at the paws of this monster dog, he would keep his body intact. Keeping his eyes locked on the dog, he brought his gun and in slow movements, trained it at the beast's head.

"Wait!" Tony suddenly yelled running into the hallway and side tackling Gibbs to the floor, completely forgetting about his own injuries.

"What are you…?" But Gibbs was cut off as the dog growled again and started stalking closer to them like a lion would its prey.

"It's ok Tipsy. It's all good. He's a good guy, it's ok." Tony said soothingly as he sat up (sat up on Gibbs) and held his hands towards the dog.

Gibbs watched in shock as… Tipsy? came forward calmly and started to lick Tony's hand. The dog soon jumped on top of Tony, knocking him back into Gibbs and effectively taking them both back down to the floor and looked ready to attack them as he towered over the teenager. Trying to draw his gun out from under Tony, Gibbs stopped short as the dog started to bark happily and covered Tony's face with saliva as he licked him mercilessly.

"Tipsy! What have I told you about licking me before I brush your teeth? Tipsy, stop! Ok, ok, I get it. Can I get up now, please?" Tony asked laughing as he finally succeeded in sitting up. "Gibbs, give me your hand. Slowly." Tony said quietly as he reached his hand towards Gibbs.

Gibbs sat and watched him quietly for a second. He couldn't help but smile as he noticed how Tony seemed so relaxed and content to be near him, when before he had flinched at any sort of physical contact. There was just something about this kid. Maybe it was the trust that could be heard in his voice or how he selflessly helped others, even if it wasn't directly obvious. But never the less, it was there; and Gibbs had noticed.

So he carefully put his hand in Tony's and watched quietly as Tony pulled his hand slowly towards Tipsy. Tony moved his hand over Gibbs' and flattened them both before moving them the rest of the way towards Tipsy. The dog carefully sniffed both hands and after a few seconds Tony slowly moved his hand away, leaving just Gibbs with his fingers quite close to the large mouth. Looking at the dogs face, Gibbs had the fleeting urge to pull his hand away, but then he looked down and noticed the way Tony was looking at him. His big green eyes were practically radiating trust, so Gibbs kept his hand there. He didn't have to wait long before Tipsy bowed his head and pressed it to his hand in a sign of trust. Gibbs carefully started petting his head, before finally pulling away and helping Tony stand up before he followed suit. The dog barked once at Tony, and then ran into the kitchen.

Tony turned to follow him but a hiss of pain stopped him in his tracks.

"What's wrong? Did you hurt your shoulder?" Gibbs asked with a voice that sounded an awful lot like worry.

"It's nothing. Really." Tony said quietly, looking dazed and confused. Did Gibbs really care? No, of course not. Tony thought, visibly shaking his head to try and expel the thoughts.

"Well in that case, what the hell was that all about?!" Gibbs hissed angrily at Tony, all worry forgotten.

"What?" Tony asked looking at Gibbs curiously, completely ignoring the pain coursing through his body and the harsh glare Gibbs was sending his way. "I told you about Tipsy and how he follows me everywhere. I knew it was only a matter of time before he showed up, I was just hoping that he wouldn't accidently break something. And what was up with trying to shoot him?" Tony asked, now angry as he glared right back at Gibbs. "Are you really that heartless?"

"Me? Heartless?" Gibbs asked completely shocked at Tony's reaction. If it wasn't for him being used to constant mood swings –compliments to Abby and her revolving door of emotions– he had a feeling that his head would still be spinning. "That dog almost attacked me!" Gibbs cried indignantly.

"Because you pointed a gun at him!" Tony said stomping his foot like an angry child. "Whatever." Tony said finally throwing his good hand up in the air and walking into the kitchen.

"What are you doin in here?" Gibbs asked in his usual gruff tone. This kid was really starting to drive him crazy. One minute he was scared –yes actually scared– that Tony had injured himself further, and the next he was ready to throttle the kid for acting like a little arrogant jerk.

"What does it smell like? I'm making dinner." Tony said as he put a bowl full of water on the ground by Tipsy.

"Oh no, he's not staying here." Gibbs said pointing at Tipsy who growled at Gibbs before shifting his focus back to his bowl of water.

"You wanna be the one to tell him to leave?" Tony asked unfazed by Gibbs tone as he put a bowl of something that looked suspiciously like meat on the ground.

"Hey, is that my steak you're feeding him?!" Gibbs yelled, once again angry at the youth.

"Inside voice Gibbs." Tony said calmly, not even looking at him.

"Well what else do you expect Tipsy to eat? It's not like you have any dog food. Of course I'm sure he wouldn't mind eating you." Jessie said with a sly smirk on her lips and an evil look in her eyes.

"Nah, don't worry about it Gibbs. Tipsy would never eat you, you're probably all stringy and hard. He prefers the smoother stuff." Tony said confidently as he kept his back to all of them. "Alright you guys, dinner is served!" Tony said with an over exaggerated bow as he pulled a pot off the stove.

"What's that?" Gibbs asked looking suspiciously at the pot.

"Only the best chicken noodle soup in the world!" Tony said happily as he poured three servings.

"Thanks Tony." Jessie said quickly digging into the bowl.

"Here you go Gibbs." Tony said handing him a bowl as he sat down next to Jessie.

"Uh… Thanks, I guess." Gibbs said, not really sure how he should react.

"No problem." Tony insisted as he took a bite of soup and gestured for Gibbs to sit down next to him.

"Here's your meds." Gibbs said giving Tony two pills.

"Thanks." Tony said quietly before dry swallowing the pills. He may hate every sort of medication, but he was in too much pain to care.

Gibbs sat there silently for a few minutes, but it was more of an awkward silence than anything else. Finally, Gibbs couldn't take it anymore. "So… what type of dog is Tipsy?"

"I'm pretty sure he's a Caucasian Shepherd, but I don't know for a fact." Tony said thoughtfully turning to look at Tipsy.

"So how did you to meet?" Gibbs asked, looking at the dog with mild curiosity.

At that question Tony got a dark look in his eyes, and for a second Gibbs thought he wouldn't answer. Finally he started to answer the question, but Gibbs couldn't help but notice how his whole body tensed. "I was walking the streets one night and heard a ton of noise, so I went to check it out. I found a bunch of drunk b*st*rds kicking and beating Tipsy. I was so angry when I saw it, that I picked up a bunch of old glass bottles and started throwing them at the guys. Luckily they weren't too drunk and they ran away after a few throws. After that I tried to help Tipsy, but he tried to attack me. He was so frightened, I could just see it in his eyes. So I sat there and waited for him to calm down. It took about five hours, but he finally trusted me enough to come near me. After that, we've been inseparable. Every now and then, he runs off or I gotta go somewhere without him, but we always make it back to each other." Tony said with a soft smile on his face.

"Kinda sappy, I know." Tony said turning back to his soup, trying to ignore the fact that he could feel his ears burning.

"That was pretty brave of you to do something like that." Gibbs said trying to look Tony in the eye.

At that comment Tony's head snapped up and stared at Gibbs. Gibbs actually gave a little smile as he noticed how his eyes lit up at the complement. But after one second, they darkened and he looked away angrily.

"Come on Jess, time for bed." Tony said standing and washing his bowl.

Tony could tell she was about to argue, so he turned and looked at her. They had always had a way of communicating without using words. Finally she nodded and went upstairs.

"Thanks for looking after us Gibbs. We'll be gone before you know it." Tony said quietly before running up the stairs, with Tipsy hot on his heels.

Gibbs looked up the stairs with curiosity. He didn't think they would be going to bed this early, and honestly he wanted to know what they would say. So he carefully crept up the stairs –avoiding all the noisy spots– and stood near the door to hear what they were saying. He knew he shouldn't eavesdrop, but his curiosity won over common sense.

**~NCIS~**

"Why are we going to bed so early? I've been staying up later than this since I was six." Jessie said sitting on the bed petting Tipsy while Tony sat behind, her braiding her hair.

"I could tell that Gibbs didn't wanna sit around and stare at us. He probably has stuff to do anyway, like whatever he does in that basement." Tony said still concentrating on the French braid he was constructing.

"What do you think he does in that basement?" Jessie asked absently stroking Tipsy's head. "Do you think he builds bombs down there?" She asked with sudden excitement.

"I'm pretty sure the government frowns upon Federal Agents building bombs in their basements." Tony said smiling at Jessie's thought process.

"Well I don't hear you coming up with any ideas."

"It's probably something to do with wood." Tony said getting off the bed once he had finished her braid.

"What makes you say that?" Jessie asked as she crawled under the covers.

"Well he usually smells like a small hint of cologne, sawdust, and coffee. But when he came out of his basement, he smelled more like sawdust. So he probably has some type of woodworking project down there. Plus, he has callouses on his hands, which proves that he works with his hands, more than agents should at least." Tony reasoned as he carefully redressed his own wound.

"Well aren't you just the observant one?" Jessie asked smiling as she remember just how observant Tony really was.

"You think I've made it on the streets this long without learning to notice things?" Tony asked incredulously.

"Point taken." Jessie said around a yawn. "Hey, where are you gonna sleep?"

"I'll be right here on the floor. I've been sleeping on the streets for so long, a bed just doesn't feel right. Just give me a few pillows and we'll call it good." Tony said carefully lying on the ground to avoid jarring his injured shoulder.

"So what do you think of Gibbs?" Jessie asked softly, afraid that he might hear her from downstairs.

"He seems like a good agent, and an even better man." Tony replied cautiously. "And I really seem to trust him, which scares me. In my experience, the people who you trust too quickly always end up betraying you." Tony said bitterly. "Just watch yourself around him, ok Jess?"

"Yeah ok." Jessie said tiredly rolling over.

"I'm serious Jessie. Promise me that you won't let your guard down around him. Promise me." Tony insisted sitting up to look her in the eyes. He had to make sure that she promised him before they went to bed.

"I promise Tony." Jessie said firmly.

"Thank you." Tony said laying back down on the ground. "Hey boy." Tony smiled as Tipsy jumped off the bed and curled himself into a ball by Tony's injured side, protecting him.

"Goodnight Tipsy, goodnight Tony." Jessie called out quietly before letting sleep consume her.

"Goodnight Jess, goodnight Gibbs." Tony replied smiling at the thought of Gibbs looking shocked, maybe even blushing. He had known Gibbs was on the other side of the door, he wasn't sure exactly how long he had been there, but he knew he was there.

**~NCIS~**

Gibbs actually smiled and looked shocked at Tony's reasoning for why he had a wood working project in his basement. Although he was a little miffed that Jessie thought he built bombs, he was still impressed that Tony had noticed those small details. But he started frowning when Tony said he didn't like that he trusted him. Yeah it was probably a good thing that Tony wasn't all that trusting of strangers, but it still worried Gibbs that he had been through that kind of betrayal before. But he couldn't help but be impressed when Tony knew he was outside the door. If there was one thing Gibbs was known for, it was his silence and his ability to sneak up on others. But Tony had managed to beat him at both those skills. With his pride slightly wounded, Gibbs walked away from the door as quietly as he could. He would have to keep an eye on those two, three if you count the dog.

**Hope you liked it! I was laughing while I wrote it :) R&R!**


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